The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a vinegared rice rolled in dried laver or other rolled up foodstuff or food product, and particularly to the apparatus which provides products with steadily roll, and improvement for easy removal of parts to be cleaned therefrom.
Generally, the vinegared rice rolled in dried later is sold in supermarkets or chain stores. The production of the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver, insufficient handmade was carried out by process in which a bamboo mat, dried laver put on the mat, vinegared rice spread over the dried laver, and ingredients put on the vinegared rice are rolled up with hands. Now, it is shifting to the process in which the automatic apparatus with high effect production are used.
As an example, Japanese Patent Publication 7-75512A discloses such the automatic apparatus. The apparatus has a base housing (not shown), a hopper 12 disposed above the base housing to allow vinegared rice R to be contained therein and fed from its lower opening, a roll maker 1 disposed below the hopper 12 for producing a rolled up food product, and a feeder 13 disposed between the hopper opening therebelow and the roll maker 1 so as to feed the vingared rice R from the hopper 12 to the roll maker, as shown in FIG. 1.
The hopper 12 stirs vinegared rice R with its stirrers 121 therein. The stirred vinegared rice enters into the feeder 13 through the hopper opening. The feeder 12 presses against and spreads the fed, stirred vinegared rice R in a board shape with its upper and lower rollers 132 and 133.
The roll maker 1 is assembled in the upper base housing at a position below the outlet of the feeder 12, and comprises a base board 2 having an opening at its predetermined position, and a rolling plate 3 extending longitudinally of the apparatus and put on the opening of the base board. The rolling plate comprises a plurality of connective plates, preferably four serial plates, as shown in FIG. 7.
The rolling plate 3 has a stationary plate 31 removably fixed to or formed integral with the base board 2, first and second rotating plates 32 and 33 rotatably connected to respective trailing and leading portions of the stationary plate 31, and a third rotating plate 34 connected to the leading portions (free end) of the first rotating plate 32. The leading side surfaces of the third rotating plate 34 have connections with link arms 35 which are connected to the predetermined portions of the base board 2 at positions midway between the leading and trailing portions of the first rotating plate 32, respectively.
The roll maker 1 includes fan shaped flanges 321 and 331 mounted on one of side surfaces of respective first and second rotating plates, a lift board 5 disposed below the base board 2 in the lower base housing to move up and down by a drive such as motor (not shown), and a pantographic lifting mechanism comprised of a pair of lifter arms 4a and 4b connected between the fist and second rotating plates, respectively, and lift plate 5.
The flanges 321 and 331 are downwardly arranged, protruding from the reverse sides of the first and second rotating plates 32 and 33, respectively, such that one of respective radial edges with respect to the arc is connected to each of first and second rotating plates 32 and 33, while the respective other edges are opposed to each other. At the lower radial edges of each flange 321 and 331, lifter arms 4a and 4b are pivotably mounted, respectively.
The other ends of each lifter arms 4a and 4b are pivotably mounted at the upper portions of an arm-mounting member removably fixed in a recess at the upper portions of the lift board 5, respectively. The fixation of the arm-mounting member in the recess is a snap-on lock L.
When the lift board 5 begins to go up, the lifter arms 4a and 4b operate to open sideward, each moving upward, as shown in FIG. 8. The upward movement of the lifter arms 4a and 4b causes upward rotation of both the first and second rotating plates 32 and 33 from their position at the base board 2, and the link arms 35 also upwardly rotate about the base board 2 so that the leading portion (free end) of the third plate 34 comes up to the position at the leading portion of the second rotating plate 33 with pull of the link arms 35 connected thereto.
Turning to FIG. 7, when the rolling plate 3 extends between the leading and trailing portions of the opening of the base plate 2, dried laver is placed on the first to third rotating plates Deft to right as shown in the figure). The vingared rice R in the hopper 12 passes through the feeder 13 to fall down into the dried laver in the fixed plate 31, as shown in FIG. 1. When the board shaped vinegared rice R falls down, it is cut in lengths by a cutter device (not shown) in the feeder. Then, the required ingredients are placed on the sheet shaped vinegared rice R.
Turning to FIG. 8, the first, second and third rotating plates 32 to 34 are located to press against the side surfaces Deft and right surfaces) and top surface of the rolled up food product, respectively. Thus, the vingared rice, the ingredients, and the dried laver are rolled up by and formed into a stick shape in the rolling plate 3.
Thereafter, when the lift board 5 begins to go down, the lifter arms 4a and 4b operate to close to come back to the original position. Thereby, the first to third rotating plates 32-34 downwardly rotate to come back to their original positions, respectively so that the rolling plate 3 opens with extension of the connective rotating plates. Thus, the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver appears. As a result, the operator does only woks of operating the apparatus, and putting the dried laver and ingredients. It is obvious that the apparatus eliminates requirement of the operator having sufficient skills, and allow the operator to do easy preparation of the vinegared rice rolled in the laver.
The forgoing apparatus has a first problem of that the transmitted push from the lift board 5 to the first and second rotating plates 32 and 33 through the lift arms 4a and 4b forming its pantograph-shape can not apply the sufficient force to press against each of the rotating plates 32 to 34, depending on the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver having its diameter that will be larger. Since the food product has reaction with the pressure of the rolling plate 3 when rolled up, the rolling plate 3 cannot produce its sufficient action.
Therefore, although the apparatus serves sufficient function as production of the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver that is formed by a thin roll, it is not suitable for a thick roll comprised of large amounts of vinegared rice and ingredients.
Furthermore, the apparatus has a second problem of having difficulty in the cleaning works. Generally, parts of apparatuses for producing rolled up food need cleaning after they end the works. Turning to the cited roll maker, after removal of the base board 2 from the base of the apparatus, its cleaning will be carried out.
When the operator would like to clean the base board 2, he has to open the snap-on lock L to separate the lifter arms 4a and 4b from the lift board 5. For opening of the snap-on lever, he is required to put his hand. Therefore, in the foregoing apparatus, the cleaner has to do troublesome works for cleaning of the roll maker 1.
It is an object of the present invention to provide the apparatus having a roll maker in which its rolling plate has rotating plates with strong force applied to nori (a sheet of dried laver or seaweed) or a other sheet-shaped food such as a omlette, vinegared rice or other filler such as pilaf and minced meat, and ingredients so as to produce strong thick or thin roll food product.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for producing a rolled up food by a roll maker, which eliminates connection of the lift board with the base board so as to provide easy removal of the base board therefrom.
To accomplish the foregoing objects, the present invention provides a roll maker which comprises a rolling plate, a base board disposed thereunder, and a slid board disposed thereunder, having improved relationship of movements of the rolling plate and the lift board of the drive.
The improvement in the rolling plate is to provide cam mechanisms symmetrically attached on respective first and second back rotating plates. Each of the cam mechanisms is short in the front height with respect to the back height so that the base is curbed at the predetermined curvature, wherein respective front faces are opposite to each other. The improvement in the drive is to provide connecting relationship between the lift board thereof and the cam mechanisms for changeover from the upward and downward movement of the lift board to the rotation of the cam mechanisms along the curved leading portions or bottom thereof. The rotating cam mechanisms produce rotation of the first and second rotating plates with its curved leading portions.
In this construction of the roll maker, direct push of the lift board biases on the first and second rotating plates through the cam mechanisms so that the rolled up food may be tightened with much larger pressure. The cam members, which are attached on the reverse first and second rotating plates, respectively, require only their placement to a position where the lift board is brought into contact therewith, and hence may be disposed independently of the lift board. Therefore, the connecting relationship between the lift board and the cam mechanisms, respectively, does not require the snap-on lock that is applied to connection of the lift board with the base board in the prior arts or foregoing apparatus. This provides very easy removal and attachment of the base board from and to the base.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the cam mechanisms has a plurality of rollers, and each of curved portions of the cam members is a curvature with approximate fitness for the arrangement of a plurality of rollers along it. The arranged rollers act to provide decrease in frictional resistance of the lift board against the cam mechanisms.
In addition, each of the reverse first and second rotating plates of the roll maker is provided with a lever for opening and closure of the rolling plate. Each lever comprises an arm portion and a hook of L shape extending from the leading portion thereof. On the extended reverse rolling plate, the left, and right hooks are inverted L with 90xc2x0 anticlockwise rotation by the right angle, and L with 90xc2x0 clockwise rotation, respectively, and their bases are opposed to each other approximately at the median portion between the leading and trailing portions of the stationary plate.
The slide board includes a base member, and a rolling plate opening retention unit. The retention unit extends approximately from the leading portion approximately to the trailing portion of the base member, and has resilient forces against the leading portions of respective hooks for opening of the rolling plate.
The forces of the retention unit comprises a pair of guide shafts arranged in parallel to each other; a pair of right and left slide blocks movably carried by the pair of guide shafts, and having face to face contact with the leading portion of w each of the hooks; and springs having forces exerted in right and left pushes on the trailing portion of respective slide blocks to cause the hooks to move in the opening direction of the rolling plate under the action of the push. Thus, the retention unit can retain opening of the rolling plate.
In further addition, push of the closing rolling plate to the rolled up food gains the force of the springs on the slider blocks, since much reaction of the slider blocks against the springs is produced by the upward movement and push of the lift plate against the cam devices. The reacting force increases push of the rotating plates to the rolled up food.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slide blocks has each one push roller having face-to-face contact with the leading portions of respective hooks so as to decrease the frictional resistance of the hooks thereto.